To anyone who is interested in Neuroscience, Clinical Psychology, and the workings of psychedelic substances: Psychedelic substances selectively deactivate central "hubs" of activity in the brain; they "decentralize" information processing. In the time between when the substance is ingested and when the brain adapts to it, there is a state of confusion and "wierdness" about everything because the usual pathways of interpreting the world have had their activity reduced. As a reaction to the decentralization, the brain reroutes the information and becomes distributed across a greater area, instead of being contained in a few limited areas, thereby allowing a greater portion of the brain to be used to interpret the world. The end result is a more versatile and adaptable information processing system, assuming the brain has not been overloaded by too much decentralization too quickly.
In individuals with depression, much of the information processing is centralized in a hyperactive part of the brain that correlates with depression. This decentralization reduces the brain's tendency to route experiences through this "depression" zone, which relieves the depressive feelings, and reroutes them into healthier areas.
Fascinating, and not surprising to me at all.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57364710-10391704/magic-mushrooms-may-help-treat-depression-how/
